Eco-friendly village to save green cover

At a time when the threat of climate change induced by global warming is looming large over our eco-system, the local environmentalists of Etawah have come up with a noble concept of making villagers aware about the benefits of plantation to save the shrinking green cover.

The forest conservation movement called as 'Green Village' concept, which has been recently acknowledged and forwarded to 196 countries by an international body, United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, UNFCCC, is being led by Prabhat Mishra, assistant director, National Savings, Etawah. Mishra has been motivating villagers to save the forest since past eight years.

"The 'Green Village' concept was developed by me in the year 2005. Under this model, a village is selected and each family from the village is made aware and educated about the disasters of deforestation and benefits of afforestation. At least one member of each family is being asked to do plantation of a plant of at least one specie in his/her surroundings," said Mishra.

In this way, not only the people's participation would be ensured but percentage of green cover area will also be increased, he added.

'Green Village' model is equally helpful in controlling species from getting extinct,desertification and deforestation. This will be helpful in sustainable development, bio-diversity conservation, water conservation, soil conservation and bio-sequestration, informed Mishra. "We are living in a world which is under 'transition and transformation phase' of energy and is facing the problem of climate change. Trees are the 'best natural sinks' of CO2 and will help to tackle the climate change," said he further.

Over the years, deforestation has resulted into major loss of biodiversity. "Man's intervention has speeded up the deforestation rate. An estimated 18 million acres of forest are lost each year according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation," said Rajiv Chauhan, secretary, Society for Conservation of Nature. He is also a part of the 'Green village' campaign.

The causes of deforestation are industrial agriculture, shifting cultivation, urbanization, population growth, desertification, selective destruction and habitat destruction, he added. According to IUCN's Red List, habitat destruction is universally the most dominant threat to biodiversity, he said.

According to World Bank data, for the 70% of the world's poor living in rural areas, agriculture is the main source of income and employment. Due to increasing population pressure, villagers are paying more attention on crop cultivation than on afforestation.

This situation will increase deforestation and will disturb Oxygen evolution and Carbon dioxide consumption ratio in the ecosystem; ultimately adding to climate change. It is estimated that about 15% of all greenhouse gas emissions are the result of deforestation. Such practices and activities are not environment friendly and are un-sustainable.

It is the fact that without remedial measures, the current living 'biological life forms' will collapse, Chauhan added. Deforestation can only be checked by applying afforestation strategies through maximum participation of local communities. "One such grass root level strategy can transform the whole village into 'Green Village'," he said further.

Robot to Herd Cows

Researchers at the University of Sydney tested the device, known as Rover, to herd cows. It was used to move a herd of cows from a field to a dairy. 

Early results showed that cattle have adapted to it well and farmers are keen on the idea, researchers said. 

Since the robot moved in a steady manner it allowed cows to move at their own speed which was important in reducing lameness among cattle, Dr Kendra Kerrisk, dairy researcher and associate professor at the university, told the BBC. 

Robots are already used in the milking process but the team wanted to see if they could be used in other areas of dairy farming. 

Car Mechanic Dreams Up a Tool to Ease Births

The idea came to Jorge Odón as he slept. Somehow, he said, his unconscious made the leap from a YouTube video he had just seen on extracting a lost cork from a wine bottle to the realization that the same parlor trick could save a baby stuck in the birth canal.

Mr. Odón, 59, an Argentine car mechanic, built his first prototype in his kitchen, using a glass jar for a womb, his daughter’s doll for the trapped baby, and a fabric bag and sleeve sewn by his wife as his lifesaving device.

Unlikely as it seems, the idea that took shape on his counter has won the enthusiastic endorsement of the World Health Organization and major donors, and an American medical technology company has just licensed it for production.

With the Odón Device, an attendant slips a plastic bag inside a lubricated plastic sleeve around the head, inflates it to grip the head and pulls the bag until the baby emerges.

Doctors say it has enormous potential to save babies in poor countries, and perhaps to reduce cesarean section births in rich ones.

“This is very exciting,” said Dr. Mario Merialdi, the W.H.O.’s chief coordinator for improving maternal and perinatal health and an early champion of the Odón Device. “This critical moment of life is one in which there’s been very little advancement for years.”

About 10 percent of the 137 million births worldwide each year have potentially serious complications, Dr. Merialdi said. About 5.6 million babies are stillborn or die quickly, and about 260,000 women die in childbirth. Obstructed labor, which can occur when a baby’s head is too large or an exhausted mother’s contractions stop, is a major factor.

In wealthy countries, fetal distress results in a rush to the operating room. In poor, rural clinics, Dr. Merialdi said, “if the baby doesn’t come out, the woman is on her own.”

The current options in those cases are forceps — large, rounded pliers — or suction cups attached to the baby’s scalp. In untrained hands, either can cause hemorrhages, crush the baby’s head or twist its spine.

Although more testing is planned on the Odón Device, doctors said it appeared to be safe for midwives with minimal training to use.

Along the way, it has won research grants from the United States Agency for International Development and from Grand Challenges Canada. “We’ve given out $32 million for 61 different innovations, and this one is the farthest along,” said Dr. Peter A. Singer, the chief executive of Grand Challenges Canada.

The device will be manufactured by Becton, Dickinson and Company, or BD, of Franklin Lakes, N.J., which is better known for making syringes.

“My first reaction, as soon as I saw it, was positive,” said Gary M. Cohen, the company’s executive vice president for global health. It was at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, that Dr. Merialdi asked him to consider taking it on.

“Many inventions get to the prototype stage, but that’s maybe 15 percent of what needs to be done,” Mr. Cohen said. “There’s finalizing the design for manufacture, quality control, the regulatory work and clinical studies. Absent that, they don’t see the light of day.”

So far, the device has been safety-tested only on 30 Argentine women, all of whom were in hospitals, had given birth before and were in normal labor.

“I was glad they asked me, because it was for a good cause,” said Luciana Valle, a kindergarten teacher who was 31 two years ago when her son, Matteo, was one of the first babies extracted with the device. Because Matteo weighed almost nine pounds, “it really helped,” she said in a telephone interview. “His head came out on my second push.”

The W.H.O. will now oversee tests on 100 more women in normal labor in China, India and South Africa, and then on 170 women in obstructed labor.

In a telephone interview from Argentina, Mr. Odón described the origins of his idea.

He tinkers at his garage, but his previous inventions were car parts. Seven years ago, he said, employees were imitating a video showing that a cork pushed into an empty bottle can be retrieved by inserting a plastic grocery bag, blowing until it surrounds the cork, and drawing it out.

That night, he won a dinner bet on it.

At 4 a.m., he woke his wife and told her the idea that had just come to him. (His own children were born without problems, he said, but he has an aunt who suffered nerve damage from birth.)

His wife, he recalled, “said I was crazy and went back to sleep.”

The next morning, a somewhat skeptical friend introduced him to an obstetrician. “You can imagine these two guys in suits in a waiting room full of pregnant ladies,” he said.

The doctor was encouraging, so he kept working. Polyethylene replaced the bag his wife had sewn, and the jar was replaced by a plastic uterus.

With the help of a cousin, Mr. Odón met the chief of obstetrics at a major hospital in Buenos Aires. The chief had a friend at the W.H.O., who knew Dr. Merialdi, who, at a 2008 medical conference in Argentina, granted Mr. Odón 10 minutes during a coffee break.

The meeting instead lasted two hours. At the end, Dr. Merialdi declared the idea “fantastic” and arranged for testing at the Des Moines University simulation lab, which has mannequins more true-to-life than a doll and a jar.

Since then, Mr. Odón has continued to refine the device, patenting each change so he will eventually earn royalties on it.

“My daughter said, ‘And now I can have my doll back,’ ” he said.

It is too early to know what BD will charge, Mr. Cohen said, but each device should cost less than $50 to make. While the company expects to profit on all sales, it will charge poor countries less.

Dr. Merialdi said he endorsed a modest profit motive because he had seen other lifesaving ideas languish for lack of it. He cited magnesium sulfate injections, which can prevent fatal eclampsia, and corticosteroids, which speed lung development in premature infants.

“But first, this problem needed someone like Jorge,” he said. “An obstetrician would have tried to improve the forceps or the vacuum extractor, but obstructed labor needed a mechanic. And 10 years ago, this would not have been possible. Without YouTube, he never would have seen the video.”

ICC hails Sachin as a ‘sporting genius’

Dubai: The ICC today paid rich tributes to Sachin Tendulkar, who retired from international cricket today after playing his 200th Test match, with its Chief Executive Dave Richardson saying that “sporting geniuses like Sachin are rare phenomenons”.

“He was an exceptional cricketer who earned the utmost respect of his peers, team-mates, opponents and fans all over the world through his talent, performances and fierce competitiveness,” said Richardson, who played 10 Tests and 26 ODIs against Tendulkar between 1991 and 1998.

“Sporting geniuses like Sachin are rare phenomenons and we are privileged to have seen him in action. On behalf of the ICC and the entire cricketing family, I thank Sachin for his unprecedented services to our sport and we wish him well in the future,” he said.

Tendulkar brought the curtains down on his 24-year-long illustrious career on his home ground at the Wankhede Stadium here after India thrashed the hapless West Indies team by an innings and 126 runs in the second cricket Test to clinch the series 2-0.

END OF THE MOST EXCITING ERA - SACHIN TENDULKAR RETIRES FROM INTERNATIONAL CRICKET

  'All my friends, settle down let me talk, I'll get more and more emotional.' The crowd does berserk out there. 'My life between 22 yards in the 24 years, it's hard to believe that it's coming to an end. I would like to thank all the people who have helped me in my life to get here. I have a list in my hand, please forgive me if I miss out on a few names. First, my father, he passed away in 1999. He was very key for my career. he gave me freedom, chase your dreams and don't find shortcuts. He also told me to be a nice human being. My mother, I don't know how she dealt with such a naughty like guy me. She took care of me to be healthy. She started praying for me even before I started my career and I think those prayers gave my strength.

In my school days, I used to stay with my uncle and aunt as my school was far away. They treated me like their son. They gave me enough food that I can play well. My eldest brother, he used to tell me, I know you'd do everything right and I have the confidence in you. My sister, she gave my the first bat for me. A Kashmir Willow bat. She continues to fast when I bat.

Ajit, I don't know what do I talk about him. It all started from the age of 11, he took to Achrekar sir my coach. And my life changed. Even last night, he called me and we were discussing my dismissal. Various things we agreed upon, my technique. I have had a lot of chat with him. If I had not done that, I would have been a lesser cricketer. The most important one in 1991, I met my wife Anjali. I know she was a doctor. When we decided to make it a family, she said, you continue with your cricket and I'll take care of the family. Without that I think I couldn't have played so much cricket. Thank you for all that you've done and it is the best partnership I've had in my life.

Then Sara and Arjun are two precious diamonds in my life. Daughter is 16 and son is 14, time has flown by. I wasn't able to be with them for the birthdays, annaul days and stuff. Thanks for understanding all that, both of you have been so special to me. I've not spent enough time with you but I promise you the rest is for you.

My in-laws have been supporting. I discuss various things with them, we have a strong family and thank you for allowing me to marry Anjali. There have been a lot of friends who have supported me. Leaving their work and coming to bowl at me when I called them. I thought my career was over when I was injured, by my friends called even at 3 AM and made me believe that it was not over. My career started at 11. My brother took me to Achrekar sir and that is the best to have happened to me. Sir would be taking me on his scooter all over Mumbai to ensure that I get enough match practice."

On a lighter note, he's never said well played to me so that I don't get complacent.'

In the last 24 yrs, I made new friends, before that I had friend from childhood. Whenever I have called them to bowl to me on nets, they have left all their work aside to be with me. Even when I was injured, they were beside me. That’s when my friends have woken up at 3 in the morning just to make me believe that my career is not over yet. Life would have been incomplete without them. Thanks for being there.

'My cricket started right here at this ground. The dream was obviously to play for India. BCCI was fantastic, they believed my at the of 16 years and selected me. Thanks for the support and the freedom, without that this couldn't have happened. I have played with many senior cricketers, thanks to everyone for helping me out. I see, Rahul, Laxman, Sourav and my teamates, you guys are like my family. It is going to be difficult without that dressing room, sharing those special moments.'

'When Dhoni gave me the 200th Test cap, I just said, we are all proud to be here as a team and I believe that you guys will take care of this country in the right spirit to the best of our abilities. I believe in you and all the best for your future. Thanks to all the doctors, physios, without your special efforts, I couldn't have been fit. I don't know how you all kept me in good shape. My dear friend, late Mark Mascerenhas, my first manager. Without him I couldn't have achieved all this. All those sponsorship deals etc.. thanks for your support. I miss you. My manager Vinod Naidu, he's more like my family. He's given me so much time leaving his family to work with him. In the school days when I played well, the media backed be a lot. You've been doing that till now. Thank you to all of you, all those photographers. Those moments will remain with me for the career. I thank all the people who supported me a lot. Whether I scored a 0 or a 100. I've met a lot of people who does all sorts of things for me, thank you for all that you've done. Especially, 'Sachin... Sachin..' that will be ringing in my ears till I breath. Thank you very much. I am sorry if I have missed out on anything. Good bye.'

Sindhudurg visit inspires students to construct a biogas plant

A visit to Sindhudurg under the Bhagirath Gramvikas Pratishthan has inspired the students of National Service Scheme (NSS) -Vishwakarma Institute of Information Technology (VIIT) to construct a biogas plant on the college premises.

They found that 2,000 biogas plants were built using ferrocement, a form of thin-shell construction that uses standard Portland cement usually mixed with plaster sand, in Sindhudurg.
Pratishthan founder Prasad Deodhar explained the various stages of constructing a biogas plant to students.

The dome-shaped biogas plant on the college premises required 10 days to be constructed. Of the stages, after planning and design of the plant, major task was its implementation.

Placing the brick walls, making the dome roof, building an inlet and outlet required precision and testing until confirmed to be fully functional. The plant covers 10 ft area and the cost of labour and production was around Rs22,000. The students intend to spread the message of a green and clean environment through this initiative.

IIT-Delhi plans to make campus eco-friendly, waste-free

The Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi (IIT-D) has decided to roll out initiatives to make the campus more environment-friendly this academic session. The institute plans to take measures in this direction by addressing three major aspects — energy, water conservation and minimising waste.

These "green initiatives" include setting up of two solar power projects in the campus. A 20 KW power system at the residence of the director is underway and another 1 MW solar power system will be installed in the academic area. IIT-Delhi dean (infrastructure) Dr Ashok Gupta said this would take care of 40 to 50 per cent electricity requirement in the academic areas.

Water harvesting is being taken up in a big way to improve the drainage system and groundwater. The institute will set up a water harvesting unit along with a new sewage treatment plant (STP) on campus as part of the green initiatives. "We are expecting that at least 70 per cent of the water from the STP can be used for horticulture purposes on campus," Dr Gupta said.

IIT-Delhi has converted toilets in the academic area to a waterless system and "looking at the success of these" in terms of water conservation, it plans to convert toilets in the hostels and residential area to the same system.

The Ministry of Human Resource Development has been emphasising that need for "minimising the institute's impact on the environment and its carbon footprint." Each institute has been advised to constitute a dedicated and independent green office consisting of members knowledgeable in environmental issues and green technologies and practices, besides student representatives. The purpose of the green office would be to "track, monitor and steer the institute towards green practices".

Gupta said although the measures are in compliance with the MHRD guidelines, the institute had already started working on these measures. There are plans to segregate organic waste from residences and hostels on campus and convert it into manure.

Waste could fuel low carbon energy and transport

Seemingly insurmountable threats like global warming and toxic emissions make an idea like recycling sound almost quaint – a throwback to the era of disco music and mood rings.

But researchers at KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm say that recycling could play an important role in sustainable energy systems and transportation.

Göran Finnveden, who is Professor in Environmental Strategic Analysis and Vice President for Sustainable Development at Stockholm's KTH Royal Institute of Technology, says that while household waste recycling is important, it takes care of a relatively small amount of the total waste that developed economies generate.

“We could do much more,” Finnveden says.

A wide range of other types of wastes account for the remainder of society’s refuse (in Sweden, non-household wastes contribute 88 percent of the country’s total). And it’s also in that “waste stream” that Finnveden and others see a huge, untapped source of energy.

Waste-to-energy examples abound. In Sweden, a substantial percentage of the country’s district heating comes from burning non-recyclable trash. “In general, recycling saves more energy than incineration of waste,” Finnveden says. “But if recycling is not feasible, waste-to energy processes can have significant advantages”.

At KTH, methods for harvesting hydrogen fuel from waste are also being developed.

When U.S. President Barack Obama made his first state visit to Sweden recently, KTH researchers showed him a system developed at the university which converts olive oil production waste to hydrogen gas. The gas can then be converted to energy through fuel cells.

"You can use the leftovers from olive oil production to make biogas and electricity," says Göran Lindbergh, Professor and Head of the Department of Chemical Engineering and Technology at KTH.

Fuel cell-powered cars, based on the test vehicle Lindbergh showed to Obama during the President's visit to KTH, can also get their hydrogen gas from waste streams. The prototype that Obama examined can travel from Stockholm to Gothenburg and back again – about 1,000 kilometres – on less than a litre of petrol.

“There are really possibilities for technology to make a difference,” Lindbergh says. But technology alone cannot solve global energy and carbon emissions problems. Both scientists agree that policy makers need the support of the public to take real steps toward significant carbon reduction.

Finnveden says a global carbon tax could support transformative change with relatively little disruption. Sweden's carbon tax, which was implemented in 1991, has changed how the country's homes are heated "and people hardly notice this because we still have a warm house and it's just heated in another way", he says.

"You could introduce a global carbon dioxide tax that would change the energy systems and the transportation systems, and we probably wouldn’t even notice it very much," he says.

"The type of fuels must change, and we have to reverse the trend of increasing traffic volumes; but that doesn’t mean the way we transport ourselves has to change drastically,” he says. “Drastic changes are needed but that doesn’t mean there has to be drastic changes in our lifestyles.”

Google, KKR to invest about $400 million in six solar plants: Report

Google Inc struck a deal with private equity company KKR & Co to invest about $400 million in six solar power plants being built by Recurrent Energy LLC in California and Arizona, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter.

Google and KKR's joint investment will be made in cash and debt. Google's equity stake is about $80 million, according to the newspaper.

The plants - five in southern California and one in Arizona - are designed to produce about 106 megawatts of electricity combined, or enough to power about 17,000 US homes, the Journal said. ()

Google has been investing in clean energy for purposes including powering its data centers and has committed over $1 billion to wind and solar projects.

KKR runs an operational improvement program known as Green Portfolio Program (GPP) through which the private equity firm assesses the environmental impact of its portfolio companies.

Recurrent Energy is a unit of Japan's Sharp Corp.

Google and KKR could not immediately be reached for comment by Reuters outside of regular US business hours.

Array Technologies completes world’s largest thin film tracking system

Array Technologies has supplied the ‘Mount Signal’ 265MW solar plant in Calexico, California with its Dura Track HZ solar tracking system.

Array Technologies was awarded the tracking supply contract in November 2012. The 265MW project is said to be the largest tracking system for thin-film installed in the world, to date.

The project uses thin-film panels manufactured by First Solar, and is being constructed by Abengoa.  

Using 1,300 delivery trucks to deliver the tracker system, Array Technologies completed the shipment several weeks early, but was challenged with the thin-film panels’ frameless design, so used a unique patent-pending bowed tracker rack. Array Technologies said using the specifically designed bow-truss solution saved on labour and material requirements for a speedier installation.

In August, Array Technologies also provided 170MW of Dura Track HZ for the ‘Centinela Solar' project, constructed by Fluor, with Yingli modules; the solar plant is also near Calexico, California.

Karnataka to regulate e-waste disposal

Bangalore, Nov 13 (IANS) Karnataka plans to regulate disposal of electronic waste (e-waste) generated by the increasing use of information and communication gadgets in formal and informal sectors, a senior official said Wednesday.

"We are keen to put in place regulations for handling and disposing mounting e-waste across the state. Stakeholders should develop an ecosystem to generate wealth through e-waste," state environment secretary N. Sivasailam said at a seminar here.

Stressing on the need to develop sustainable business models to deal with e-waste, Sivasailam said proper systems had to be put in place to ensure systematic development of the e-waste industry.

"It is important to have a protocol in place to operate e-waste processing units. The protocol can be modified at periodic intervals based on feedback from stakeholders," the secretary told the seminar, organised by the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry (Assocham).

Assocham southern regional council co-chairman J. Crasta said a whopping 800,000 tonnes of e-waste was generated across India in 2012, reflecting a cumulative average growth rate of 27 percent since 2005.

"Mumbai along with Navi Mumbai is the highest generators of e-waste, followed by the National Capital Region (NCR) and Bangalore," he said.

Expressing concern over the growing e-waste processing in the informal sector leading to environmental and health hazards, Crasta called for efforts to increase share of the formal sector to make best use of it and generate employment opportunities.

"There is an urgent need to create awareness for scientific disposal of e-waste so as to reduce its menace on society," Crasta said.

CARBSE develops green detector for building material

In what could be a boon to the construction and building industry in the country, the Centre for Advanced Research in Building Science and Energy (CARBSE) at Cept Universityhas developed a 'U-Factor calculator' along with a unique database that will prove beneficial in selecting building material, help in analysis and building energy modelling.

U-Factor, in simple terms, means 'rate of heat transfer'. So, lower the U-factor, lesser the heat transfer through walls, roof and windows of any building. While many such stand-alone calculating tools are available, the database which Cept has generated is the first of its kind. "The database carries information regarding building materials found in India; something that existing database lack. Stats like thermal conductivity, thermal diffusivity and specific heat in context to 57 cities of India are listed in our database, making this tool unique," said a core team member of CARBSE.

The Cept energy lab, that has generated the India-relevant database being used by this tool, is known to be the only one in the country that does research work pertaining to 'building energy efficiency'.

The tool will be freely accessible online and provide ample help to architects, MEP consultants, Green Building consultants, students and researchers in their line of work. This project, that has been supported by ministry of new and renewable energy, the Government of India and Shakti Sustainable Energy Foundation, will also help in implementing 'Energy Conservation Building Code'.

UK and India collaborate in sustainable bioenergy research

Sir Mark Walport, the Government Chief Scientific Adviser, has announced major funding towards sustainable fuels during a visit to India. Over £4M of UK funding, with matched resource from India, has been awarded to four research projects that bring together expertise in sustainable bioenergy and biofuels from both countries. The funding is a result of the Sustainable Bioenergy and Biofuels (SuBB) initiative funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research council (BBSRC) in the UK and Department of Biotechnology (DBT) in India. 

ABB bets big on solar energy in India

ABB India is looking at significantly increasing its presence in the solar energy space as the Union and several State governments have lined up mega expansion of solar energy capacity. As prices of oil and coal go up steadily, experts feel, solar power could become an affordable and sustainable source of energy.

According to the National Solar Mission, India is projected to have solar energy capacity of 10,000 MW by 2017. And by 2022, the country will have 20,000 MW. India already has solar power generating capacity of 2,100 MW. Another 4,000 MW are in the pipeline, according to Tarun Kapoor, Joint Secretary, Ministry of New And Renewable Energy.

“Solar energy is getting more acceptability and the growth has been very high since the past three years. There is huge opportunity ahead, and we are poised to leverage that opportunity. We are gearing up to provide turnkey solutions for our clients in India,” Ajay Kawdikar, Vice-President, Country Solar, ABB India, told The Hindu .

“We are very committed to solar energy, and this is evident from the fact that ABB recently invested $1 billion to acquire U.S.-based Power-One Inc. which has enormous capability in the solar power domain,” he said.

Mr. Kawdikar was here to attend Intersolar 2013, a trade show. “We are quite upbeat about the potential of solar energy in India, and our order book position is healthy. We have cumulative orders of 500 MW and we are looking for more,” he said.

He said that ABB had many loyal customers who were now venturing into solar segment and were opting for ABB’s solutions. “We are operating in India for the last five decades, and we have the best of technology available. Most of our solar customers are existing customers,” he added.

APP wants reconstitution of expert committee on hydro-power projects

The Association of Power Producers (APP), comprising leading power sector players, has written to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to intervene and direct the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) to re-constitute the expert committee set up to study the level of impact contributed by the hydro power projects on the recent tragedy in the States. The Association has pleaded that it did not have appropriate domain experts.

In the letter, APP Director-General Ashok Khurana has said the members agreed that there was a need for a detailed study into the root cause of the Uttrakhand disaster. The committee constituted by the MoEF has mandate to study the level of impact contributed by the hydro power projects on the recent tragedy and also to examine the impact on biodiversity of Alaknanda and Bhagirathi by the 24 projects identified by Wildlife Institute of India. “The expert committee constituted by MoEF will need to conduct a proper assessment of social ecological and economical impact of the projects along with the benefits and then take a balanced view aimed at promoting sustainable growth in the region. For this it is important to ensure presence of appropriate domain knowledge experts in the committee which is felt lacking at present,” the letter states.

The letter further states that it is equally important to maintain objectivity in the findings of the committee which might prove to be difficult task if the committee consists of members with a very strong and stated position on the matter to be examined.

SunEdison Launches Solar Water Pumps in India

SunEdison (NYSE:SUNE), a leading solar technology manufacturer and provider of solar technology and solar energy services, today launched the SunEdison Solar Water Pump, a high performance solar PV-based water pump specially designed for agriculture. The Solar Water Pump will address a significant market, and help increase crop yield by delivering reliable irrigation without dependence on expensive diesel fuel or intermittent electrical power supply.

Commenting on the launch, Mr. Pashupathy Gopalan, President, SunEdison, Asia Pacific, GCC and South Africa said, “SunEdison is committed to transforming lives through innovation. Our solar water pumps empower farmers to grow cash crops that require predictable irrigation and enable them to utilize land that they previously could not irrigate.”

The SunEdison solar water pump designed by R&D teams in California, USA and Bangalore, India is an attractive solution for farmers who need year-round cultivation and predictable daytime irrigation.  According to a study by IIT Bombay, effective irrigation can lead to a significant increase in yield. Thus, solar water pumps can result in improved yields and can even provide an additional crop each year, enhancing food security. Solar pumps also benefit electricity supply companies and surrounding communities by reducing strain on the grid. Intended for use in rural environments, these innovative pumps feature rugged structural design, and are available in 3HP (horsepower), 5HP, 7.5HP and 10HP variants.

“SunEdison’s solar water pump solution addresses and enables a large and growing market,” said Ahmad Chatila, President and CEO of SunEdison. “It is a tremendous opportunity for us to grow our business and help people transform their lives.”

SunEdison aims to bring the best in technology and quality to our customers. The solar pumping systems are designed with state of the art features and provide best-in-class performance. An intelligent pump controller continuously monitors power available from solar PV modules and drives a high-efficiency 3-phase AC pump at variable speeds to use every watt of power available and provide water through the day. Rugged industrial design ensures reliable performance in the most adverse operating conditions and ensures reliable and safe operation for over 15 years, while allowing for easy maintenance.

Godawari’s 50 MW solar thermal plant generating above stated capacity

Godawari Power (GODPI) & Ispat Ltd.’s solar-thermal plant, Asia’s biggest, is generating more power than expected, allaying criticism that the technology was failing in India, a government official said.

Godawari’s 50-megawatt project is at times generating 10 megawatts more than its stated capacity, said Tarun Kapoor, head of solar policy at the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy.

“People were saying that solar thermal was not going to work out in India,” Kapoor said at the Intersolar conference in Mumbai today. “That has now been proven wrong.”

Godawari’s plant is the first of seven solar-thermal generators planned in India. The remaining six have had their deadlines extended to February from May, Kapoor said. Plants by Reliance Power Ltd. (RPWR) and Megha Engineering & Infrastructures Ltd. should be finished soon, he said.

Solar-thermal technology focuses sunlight on liquids to produce steam to run conventional turbines. The other way to generate power from sunlight is to use photovoltaic panels to convert the rays directly to electricity.

India to invite bids for 1 GW solar plant by March

Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd. (BHEL), India’s largest power-equipment maker, plans to invite bids by March to build a 1-gigawatt solar plant as the government seeks to cut the cost of the technology by promoting large projects.

State-owned Bharat Heavy, leading a six-company joint venture, intends to auction a contract for the design and construction work in the next four months, said Tarun Kapoor, joint secretary at the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy.

India, which suffers from peak-hour power shortages of as much as 25 percent in some states, is starting a program of large-scale renewable projects to diversify its energy mix and reduce a current-account deficit exacerbated by fuel imports.

The country has proposed to build five so-called ultra-mega renewable parks comprising as much as 18 gigawatts in capacity over about 10 years, according to a ministry presentation obtained by Bloomberg News. That would expand India’s installed solar capacity ninefold.

“The main objective is to bring down the price of solar power,” Kapoor said at the Intersolar conference in Mumbai yesterday. “We want to bring it to about 5.5 rupees (8.6 cents) a kilowatt-hour so that it’s competitive with any other source of power.”

Bharat Heavy’s planned tender will award a contract for the first gigawatt of a proposed 4-gigawatt solar park at Sambhar, Rajasthan state. The remaining capacity will later be auctioned in 500-megawatt batches to non-state developers, Kapoor said.

Planned Parks

Separately, a 4.7-gigawatt renewable park is planned in Kharaghoda, Gujarat state, that would include 700 megawatts of wind power. Land for both parks has already been obtained from state-run Hindustan Salts Ltd., Kapoor said.

Other government plans include solar farms in northern Jammu and Kashmir state, and a solar park in Bhadla near Jodhpur in Rajasthan.

The target tariff of 5.5 rupees a kilowatt-hour for ultra-mega projects is 27 percent below the average cost of solar power in India today, according to Kapoor. It’s 32 percent below the global average, data compiled by Bloomberg show.

The new Solar Energy Corp. of India will be the sole buyer of electricity from the projects, according to the joint secretary. The state-run corporation applied to regulators last month for a license to trade power, which would allow it to buy and sell solar output across the nation.

Japan starts up offshore wind farm near Fukushima

Japan switched on the first turbine at a wind farm 20 kilometers (12 miles) off the coast of Fukushima, feeding electricity to the grid tethered to the tsunami-crippled nuclear plant onshore.

The wind farm near the Fukushima Dai-Ichi nuclear power plant is to eventually have a generation capacity of 1 gigawatt from 143 turbines, though its significance is not limited to the energy it will produce. Symbolically, the turbines will help restore the role of energy supplier to a region decimated by a population exodus following the multiple meltdowns triggered by the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami.

Rs 1 crore device to monitor 100-metre pollution

MPPCB plans to install automatic air sampler for online monitoring at a most polluted location.

The Madhya Pradesh Pollution Control Board (MPPCB) is planning to install an automatic air sampler for online monitoring of air pollution in Indore. The device will be installed at the most polluted area of the city and will capture air quality of 100 metre area around it. The board will spend more than Rs 1 crore on the device.
The board has taken cue from the highly polluted metropolitan cities like Delhi, Kolkata and others and taken a decision of this pilot project. 
Once successful, it will be implemented in other cities of the state including Bhopal.The automatic gadget that will regularly collect air sample, test the air on various parameters like RSPM, NOX and SPM and immediately give the real-time air composition reading of the 100 meters area around it.

Initially, the department plans to install only a single instrument in the entire city that is spread across 276 sq km area and has diverse pollution levels owing to nature of habitat and industrial operations.

"One device will be installed in a polluted location that is yet to be decided and later more of such devices may be added," claimed MPPCB chief chemist Aparna Bapat.

"The entire setup of the device costs more than Rs 1 crore and every other additional device installed to cover rest of the city will cost the same. It is not sure as to when will it be installed though," she added.

The device will have automatic sensors that will capture the air particles on a 24 hours basis and the reading can be taken at any given time.

Environment department head at SGSITS Dr DJ Killedar said, "Although it is a positive move that the system is being put up in our city, the board could have installed more of this instrument at different locations which would have helped in the profiling of the city and declaring pollution free zones too".

"Even the air quality index can only be estimated when the city is profiled in different pollution zones," he added.

At present, the board uses three mobile instruments called as the respirable dust sampler that are shifted from one station to the other for checking the ambient air quality. Explaining the mechanism of this device, Dr Killedar said that it converts the analog signal to digital after sensing the concentration of pollutants in the air.

Critically Ill indore
The MoEF recently included Indore and Singrauli of MP in 8 critically polluted areas of the country on account of which the board is compelled to take stringent actions to bring down the pollution levels.

MPPCB will execute the action plan with other stake holders including IMC, RTO, etc to bring down pollution levels.

Other cities including Delhi, Mumbai, Lucknow  will also install a similar device which is believed to cost around Rs 80L each.

KILL ZONE

Eco-friendly district in Maharashtra looks for carbon credit

The Kolhapur Zilla Parishad, with its one lakh biogas plants, might well become the first local civic body in the Maharashtra to earn carbon credits. Officials have begun preparations to count the district's carbon footprint, which will pave the way to apply for carbon credits.

The carbon credits are awarded for saving emission of greenhouse gases and implementing eco-friendly technology. With the ample grazing land and abundant water, Kolhapur residents have traditionally reared large number of cattle, with the district now counting for 5.25 lakh cattle. The dung, which would otherwise be dumped or burnt, has been used over the last few years to generate biogas.

As many private agencies in the state have earned carbon credit for use of sustainable energy, officials at the Kolhapur Zilla Parishad decided that they could also earn carbon credit taking into consideration the large number of biogas plants in the district. Officials said that the use of biogas has considerably reduced the use of wood and felling of trees for fuel. "We will soon take up a drive to measure the carbon footprint of the district. The procedure would create a ground for us to apply for carbon credits," said Dinesh Doke, additional chief executive officer of Kolhapur ZP. The district administration has not yet finalised the agency which will count the carbon footprint. Meanwhile, the ZP will undertake a review of the biogas plants in the district and their functioning.

The ZP has managed to set up as many as one lakh family biogas plants which are used for cooking purpose. The plants are set up for a family of four through an initial government subsidy of Rs 4,000. The detailed project report prepared by experts for Kolhapur ZP has mentioned that a house should have at least 3-5 cattle that would generate at least 30 kg of dung apart from other agricultural waste. Doke said, "The combustion of biogas results in the release of carbon dioxide, which is used by plants for photosynthesis. The release of methane from the decomposition of agricultural waste, remains of dry plants and grass and the cow dung pose a threat to the environment. Methane is a potent greenhouse gas because of its warming effect."

The biogas plants have resulted in huge saving of fuels such as kerosene and LPG cylinders. "If we succeed in earning some carbon credits, it will be an additional source of income for farmers. Plus, the popularity would inspire other regions to follow and adopt the concept," he said.

P D Raut, professor of environmental science at Shivaji University, Kolhapur said, "It is true that methane is more hazardous than carbon dioxide. For biogas operators, recognition like carbon credit is important. It encourages society to adopt eco-friendly approach."

As many as 40 villages in Kolhapur, mainly from Radhanagari, Bhudargad and Panhala tehsils, have been using only biogas for the last few years. Every village has a population of 2,000 and most of the families have set up biogas plants.

Somnath Powar, a farmer from Shahuwadi tehsil, said, "I have realised the benefits of biogas plant. It has reduced my expenditure on kerosene or other fuels. We do not have to collect wood or look for dried branches to be used as fuel for cooking. I find the biogas unit useful as it is a one time investment and raw material is generated from time to time at my place."

A biogas unit needs 30 kg dung a day and it provides sufficient fuel for a family of four, who can cook food and the fuel can also be used for purposes. Since the milk dairies in the region offer good rates, farmers are keen to raise cattle. The milk produced has higher nutritional values and in turn fetches better returns for the farmers.

Vijay Ajagekar, agriculture officer at Kolhapur Zilla Parishad said, "These tehsils have good fodder available in abundance; hence people are rearing cattle for a long period. Milk production offers good returns and the large number of cattle means that a huge amount of dung is generate every day. Not entire dung can be used as fertiliser. Instead of letting open decomposition of dung, the government has come up with a scientific way of decomposition and using the biogas as fuel for cooking."

5 Energy-saving DIY projects

It happens every winter: As the temperature plummets, energy bills skyrocket. But you don’t have to let winter get the best of you this year. By tackling a few projects around the home, you can keep your home warm without going broke. If you’re looking to save money on bills this year, here are five DIY projects to finish before winter fully sets in.
Replace outdated bulbs with new energy-efficient LED bulbs
With new energy efficiency standards on light bulbs going into effect, traditional incandescent bulbs are becoming increasingly scarce on the shelves and will soon become extinct. However, many people still have these energy hogs in their homes. In the past, some consumers have steered clear of more energy efficient CFL bulbs because they don’t look as good as incandescent lights. LED bulbs, however, combine the warm tones of incandescent bulbs with the energy savings of CFL bulbs. At $10 or more a bulb, the price tag on these lights is still pretty steep, but they are projected to last up to 20 years, making them good long-term investments.
Insulate hot water pipes
In many homes, the hot water pipes running from the water heater are completely uninsulated. And because these pipes often snake through cold basements and crawl spaces, they can cool down pretty fast, causing your water heater to work overtime. Fortunately, insulating these pipes is simple and affordable. Pipe insulation runs around a dollar for six feet, which means you can probably do the job for less than $20. Simply wrap the pipes in the polyethylene tubing and secure it with a bit of electrical tape. To insulate joints and bends in the pipe, cut two pieces of tubing at 45 degree angles and attach the two angled pieces together.
Seal windows and doors
Leaky windows and doors are one of the biggest causes of energy loss in a home. If the caulking around windows has become dried and cracked, it’s time to strip it away with a caulk remover and reapply a new layer to seal the exterior of the frame. You’ll also want to seal the window from inside the house with either foam weather stripping or a clear plastic window film, both of which can be easily removed in the spring when it’s time to open the windows again. For doors, get a weather-stripping seal, which you can easily attach around the door with a few screws.
Check vents and openings
After tackling leaks coming in through windows and doors, you’ll want to check for leaks inside your home. A leaky duct system in your home could be dumping valuable heated air in all the wrong places, making some rooms too hot and others too cold, while forcing you to forever fiddle with your thermostat in the hunt for the perfect temperature. Start by checking exposed ducts for any obvious holes and feel around ducts to see if warm air is escaping through small leaks. If you do have leaky ducts, use mastic or a heat-approved tape rather than duct tape, which does a poor job of adhering to heated ductwork. If ducts run through uninsulated areas of the house, such as crawl spaces and attics, you’ll want to add a layer of insulation around the ductwork. While you can handle exposed ducts on your own, you’ll likely have to call in a professional to insulate ducts located inside walls and ceilings, because these spaces can be tough to access and require the removal of drywall.
Replace your water heater with a tankless water heater
Tankless water heaters are becoming an increasingly popular option for those looking to save money on their monthly bills. As the name implies, a tankless heater gets rid of the traditional water tank and instead uses powerful boilers that only heat up water when you need it. Because these units can cost quite a bit more than a traditional water heater, you probably won’t come out ahead if you upgrade a tank that is still in good working order. But for those looking to replace a heater that is on its last legs, a tankless water heater is an attractive alternative, particularly when you factor in the rebates for this energy efficient upgrade.

Don't throw out that kitchen waste, it could make money for you!

Don’t throw out that kitchen waste! It could make money for you!

Scientists from the department of soil science and agricultural chemistry, University of Agricultural Sciences (UAS), Bangalore have devised a method whereby kitchen waste could be turned into compost that could be used to grow plants in your balcony, or be even sold. 

Drum composting is the method of collection, digestion and decomposition of wet waste from domestic kitchens, vegetable markets, schools, colleges,offices, agriculture, agro-based industrial wastes, into compost.

“There are two types of drum composting: Drum vermicomposting and drum bio-composting,’’ says HC Prakash, professor, department of soil science and agricultural chemistry at UAS. 
According to him, on an average an individual produces about 250-400 gm of wet wastes. “For about Rs5,500-7,000, you can have a solution for your kitchen waste problem,” he says.

“In India, about 1.3lakh tons of garbage is generated daily and, Bangalore city alone about 6,000 tones of it,’’ Prakash said.

Drum dry composting involves storing of wet waste in a plastic drum with its bottom punctured with a large number holes to allow aeration and draining of water. The garbage is stored for three weeks for ‘pre-digestion’ and during the period the temperature in the garbage rises and gradually decreases. When the temperature has declined to a low, half a kg of earthworms are introduced in the drum. The waste has to be sprinkled with water occasionally to enable the earthworms to survive, ingest, digest and excrete vermi casts otherwise known as vermicompost which is rich in nutrients needed by plants. It could also be sold in market.

Things to watch out: The waste should not contain plastic, glass pieces or non-vetegarian waste. He cautions that once the earthworms are introduced into the drum, in order to ensure the growth and development of worms, further waste should be stored in a second, similar drum. In this method, the drum is rotated 15-20 times twice a day. Rotation allows air circulation in the waste, eliminates fetid smell, and aids decomposition of waste.

“Here application of cow dung slurry or bio-culture helps speedier preparation of compost. If cow dung slurry is not available, even mere rotation of drums twice a day is enough for preparation of compost,’’ Prakash says.

DRUMMING UP SOME FACTS
On an average a 200-litre capacity plastic drum produces about 75 kg of compost in about 75 days

The cost of the drum and the composting is about Rs 5,500-6,000 for drum dry composting and Rs 6,000-7000 for drum bio-composting

Simple and easy to operate and can be adopted in household roof tops, gardens and parks

Aerobic microbial composting minimizes flies and mosquitoes in the area

Prevents soil and water pollution 

Ecofriendly and maintains a clean environment

Can be a source of livelihood for unemployed youths

GEDCOL plans solar power projects in three districts of Odisha

Green Energy Development Corporation of Odisha Limited (GEDCOL) has requested the government to earmark at least 500 acres of land each in Boudh, Bolangir and Kalahandi districts for solar power development in the State.

GEDCOL, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Odisha Hydro Power Corporation (OHPC), would develop basic infrastructure linking with the identified patches of land while solar power plants would be put up by private players.

Addressing Odisha Solar Conference here on Friday, OHPC Managing Director Sahadev Khatua said, “GEDCOL has identified patches of land in Kalahandi, Boudh and Bolangir district for solar power development in the initial phase. It is estimated that close to 270 mw of solar power could be generated by setting up projects on these identified land patches.”

Once land bank with basic infrastructure is ready, process of developers’ selection through bidding route would be initiated, Mr. Khatua said.

In Boudh district, GEDCOL has zeroed in on 300 acres of land at Manmuda and urged the Odisha Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (IDCO) to make the land available to it.

Besides, the OHPC has about 700 acres of land lying unused with it. “A patch of 200 acres of land is readily available with us at Khatiguda in Kalahandi district. We are also in process of aggregating other usable lands available with us across the State,” the OHPC MD said.

As per Odisha Renewable Energy Development Agency, the State has potential to generate 14,000 mw of solar energy. However, as of now the State could achieve solar power generation capacity to the tune of 18 mw only.

Rooftop solar projects

GEDCOL has also made decent progress towards tapping sunshine by putting up rooftop solar projects in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack. “A fortnight ago, International Finance Corporation has started preparing detail project report for harnessing sunshine in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack. We will first eye at government buildings for the rooftop solar projects which are expected to contribute about 10 mw,” said Mr. Khatua.

“Based on the success of rooftop solar projects on government offices in the twin city, we would move to private commercial buildings and individual households,” said the OHPC MD.

Inquiries

He said the newly set up corporation was receiving a large number of inquiries from government and private colleges and commercial establishments for setting up of rooftop projects.

“A team of experts from GEDCOL would visit Sanskrit University in Puri to assess the prospects of setting up rooftop solar project. Besides, a proposal for similar project in Utkal University is also under consideration,” he said.

Earlier speaking on the occasion, State Forest and Environment Minister Bijoyshree Routray said, “Odisha’s energy basked is mixed with both conventional and nonconventional energy sources.

Nepal's initiative to benefit Indian hydropower companies

With high hydropower potential but low output level, severely power starved Himalayan country Nepal is in process of widening the bottlenecking identified as hindrance for the power promoters, mainly from India, to come forward. The country has a set objective to produce 25,000 MW extra hydropower by 2030. According to Mr. K D Adhikary, Joint Secretary at Nepal Energy Ministry, conflicting acts are causing trouble in initiating power projects. Thus, the country is planning to amend these acts 

Killzone: Shadow Fall (PS4) First Gameplay

                        

Young ventures like Magicrete, Perlcon Premix riding the green building bandwagon

The rising trend of constructing green buildings and the scarcity of traditional materials have opened up a sizeable market for young ventures producing alternatives that are cost efficient and eco-friendly. These ventures offer solutions that range from masonry products that do not use cement or sand to online platforms that improve efficiency by linking builders with suppliers of construction materials. "Builders are now increasingly focusing on raising efficiency," said Sourabh Bansal, 29, cofounder of Magicrete, a manufacturer of autoclave aerated concrete blocks, which are nearly nine times larger than bricks but lighter. These blocks require lesser steel and concrete during construction. 

Coimbatore Corporation begins recycling waste plastic bags discarded in city

Plastic bags of various microns thickness lay scattered outside a shed in Apanaickenpalayam, near Thudiyalur. A cursory look suggests that the Corporation had dumped the bags there. It is not so, as the Corporation is recycling the bags to produce plastic cakes that will be recycled to produce various plastic products.

Commissioner G. Latha told journalists on Tuesday that the Corporation had begun the process of recycling plastic bags. The plastic bags collected from the 20 wards in the North Zone go the processing zone, where members of a self help group clean, dry and shred the bags.

The workers then feed the shredded plastic pieces to a machine, which using heat, compacts them into plastic cakes.

Payment

The Corporation had tasked the conservancy workers in the Zone with collecting the waste. To encourage them to collect the bags, the Corporation would pay Rs. 2 a kg. In the past few days, the workers had collected nearly 2,900 kg bags.

Process
The Commissioner said that for every 125 kg shredded waste, the machine pushes out plastic cakes that weigh 100 kg. The Corporation sold a kg of the plastic cake at Rs. 17.50 to an Erode-based businessman who uses the same as raw material to manufacture plastic products.

For producing the cakes, the Corporation pays each of the eight members of the self help groups Rs. 150 a day. And, at the end of the day, the Corporation was left with Rs. 350 which it could use towards maintenance and power charges.

Self-help group

Ms. Latha said that the Corporation had just started the unit. At present it was keen on streamlining the process and in the days to come could look at handing over the entire unit to the self help group members.

The objective was to recycle plastics.

For managing the plastic waste in other zones the Corporation was looking at other models of waste management. For example in Ward 23 (R.S. Puram), where the Corporation had implemented the Shunya Project of ‘Zero Waste Management’ the Corporation had tied-up with ITC.

The workers there sold the plastics and other dry waste to the company for a consideration.

At the inauguration on Tuesday, Mayor S.M. Velusamy, councillors and officials were present.